


The Strictly Curse

by drwhogirl



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Ballroom Dancing, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-21 08:43:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12453735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drwhogirl/pseuds/drwhogirl
Summary: Mick asks Ketch to help him learn to dance for a date, completely oblivious to Ketch's feelings for him.





	The Strictly Curse

“You learned Ballroom when you were younger, right?”

Ketch looked at Mick suspiciously. When someone asks a question like that out of the blue, it always makes you wonder what exactly their angle is. “Why?” At school, Ketch had been teased a lot about the fact his parents made him go to dance classes, so Mick couldn’t really blame him for being so suspicious.

“Bella has asked me to attend a ball that her parents are holding next week. But I know nothing about dance at all.” Mick explained, nervously. He knew the last person to bring up dance with Ketch received a punch in the face, but the fact he’d made it this far was a good sign. Right?

“I still think she’s completely out of your league.”

“Will you help me?”

Ketch sighed, he knew from the moment Mick walked in here that he’d end up saying yes but that wounded puppy expression wasn’t making this any easier. “Fine. My place. 7. If you’re late, deal’s off.”

“Thanks mate, I owe you one.” Ketch decided not to tell Mick that the way his face lit up was all the payment he’d need. Instead he mumbled something about how he definitely did as he walked out. He’d been about to leave for a hunt anyway, which was perfect because now he definitely needed to kill something. If spending so much time with Mick wasn’t going to be bad enough, the fact he was helping Mick’s relationship with Bella was just the cherry on top. But he would help, he knew he would. Because, whether he liked it or not, Mick had chosen her and Ketch wasn’t about to take that choice away.

When Ketch got back to his apartment later that night at half past seven (there had been a complication with the hunt that couldn’t have been helped, a newbie screwed up and paid for it with his life) Mick was sat outside the door with a carrier bag full of Chinese food at his side. Ketch chose to ignore him as he leaned over to unlock and open the door. Causing Mick to almost fall over at the sudden loss of something to lean on.

“What happened?” Mick asked from his position on the floor. Ketch continued to ignore him, and Mick got the hint. He didn’t want to talk about it. But the fact he hadn’t been told to go away meant he was still welcome to come in, so he picked up his bag and followed Ketch in. Making sure to close the door and lock all 5 of the locks behind him.

Whilst Ketch went to get himself a drink, Mick decided to start reheating their food. He’d rightly assumed that Ketch wouldn’t have eaten before coming back and he also knew his friend well enough to know that given his way he’d have likely forgotten to do so all together.

“So, what do you actually know about dancing?” Ketch asked, as he sat down at the kitchen table. Ignoring how much he enjoyed having Mick there in his kitchen.

“Bugger all. Never exactly had a chance to learn.” Mick shrugged as he pulled food out of the microwave to place in front of Ketch before putting the next tub in.

“Well that’s reassuring.” Ketch remarked sarcastically, taking a sip of his whiskey as he tried to think this through. He wasn’t really sure what answer he expected but had definitely hoped he wouldn’t be starting from scratch.

“I’ve seen a couple of episodes of Strictly if that’s any help?”

“Well I suppose it’s better than nothing.” Mick finally came to sit opposite him as they continued to discuss Mick’s non-existent dance training and anything else he might have done that could help (unfortunately the answer was not much).

Once they finished, Ketch led Mick through to the living room. Moving the coffee table in order to make enough room to work in. “First things first. I need to teach you proper Ballroom hold. So, why don’t you show me what you think that’s like first.” Mick blinked at him, looking slightly bewildered and Ketch rolled his eyes, electing to change tactic. “Alright. Pretending I’m Bella. Show me basic hold.” Ketch moved closer to Mick and stood facing him, slightly to the left (Mick’s right). Luckily, Mick took Ketch’s choice of where to stand as the hint it was making it slightly easier to get the positioning right. Ketch helped to adjust Mick’s posture and hand positioning before placing his own left hand just below Mick’s right shoulder. They spent the next four hours going over the basic steps for The Waltz. Mostly with Mick on his own but occasionally when he started to get the hang of it they’d try something in hold. By the end of the evening, Ketch had his feet stood on numerous times and had rolled his eyes at Mick even more but even so he found himself enjoying himself. Mick ended up leaving at around midnight with a promise to practice every chance he got and they agreed to try again the same time the next day to see if there was any improvement.

They got into a routine after that. Every day until the ball a week later, Mick was with Ketch until midnight. Learning to dance and actually beginning to do quite well, Mick had Ketch falling harder and harder. Whether it was the adorable look of concentration on his face as he learned a new step or the way his face would light up when told he got it right was unclear. But all of a sudden Ketch understood just what the papers meant when they talked about “the strictly curse”. Spending so much time with Mick and spending it doing something as intimate as Ballroom was just bringing his long-suppressed feelings closer to the front and he couldn’t help but hope that it had the same effect on Mick. That Mick might change his mind and leave Bella. But Ketch had to put that thought out of his mind. It wouldn’t help to have unrealistic hope.

It made it so much harder for Ketch to deal when Mick went off to the ball. Particularly when he stopped by on his way to pick up Bella, to make sure he was dressed alright. He basically wore the same thing he usually did to the office, even down to the open collar and lack of tie.

“What do you think?” Mick asked. “Does this work for the ball?”

“Not quite. Give me a moment.” Ketch went inside and picked out a tie, taking it back to where Mick was stood at his front door.

“But I don’t know how to tie a tie.” Mick looked at the piece of material as if it had suddenly become a venomous snake. Ketch rolled his eyes and motioned Mick closer, doing up the top buttons on the other man’s shirt and threading the tie through his collar before tying it with practiced ease.

Mick thanked Ketch for his help and left to pick up Bella. When he arrived at her house however, she was stood outside on the pavement. Arms folded, tapping her foot angrily. Mick checked his watch and saw he was actually 5 minutes early. Shrugging, he decided she couldn’t be upset with him and climbed out of the car.

“What sort of time do you call this!?” She shrieked as he approached her. Mick couldn’t help but feel confused.

“7:25. You asked me to pick you up at half past?” Mick was beginning to wonder if he’d got the timings wrong until Bella spoke again.

“Yes I did. Meaning you were supposed to be here at 7 to help me get ready! What were you thinking!?” Bella paused as she finally registered Mick’s appearance. “Where did you get that tie? Have you been spending time with HIM again!? After I told you not to!?”

“He was helping to teach me to dance. So I didn’t mess things up for you tonight.” Mick explained gently, in an attempt to placate her.

“No! I’ve had it! You have to choose! Me or him!”

Mick wasn’t really sure what to say. He honestly hadn’t expected that kind of reaction. He knew she didn’t like him spending time with Ketch, but he was his best friend. It was only then that Mick began to realise that over the past week, he’d become even more than that. And Mick would be damned if he didn’t want to explore the potential new dimensions of their relationship further. He also knew that, for all of Ketch’s jokes about Bella being out of his league, Ketch actually couldn’t stand the pretty blonde. But rather than giving him the same ultimatum he now faced from Bella, Ketch had chosen to just accept Mick’s decision and deal with it without question. That was enough for Mick to make his mind up. “Ketch. I choose Ketch.”

“You’re mad! What’s he got that I don’t!?”

“You mean other than me? Know what, you can find your own way. I’ve got some place to be. Have fun at your parents’ party though.”

“Ball! It’s a Ball!” Mick just rolled his eyes at that and climbed back into the car, heading back the way he came to Ketch’s place.

When he arrived it was getting late. The nightmarish central London traffic and a dozen or so unexpected detours due to road works meant it was almost 11 by the time Mick was finally stood outside Ketch's door. Mick knocked on the door. He waited for a moment before knocking again. Still no reply. Beginning to get worried, he found his spare key and let himself in.  
He couldn’t help the sigh of relief when he walked in and found Ketch asleep on his sofa. He stepped over about 5 different empty bottles of alcohol to get to the airing cupboard. Finding a warm, fluffy blanket he draped it gently over the sleeping man. Going to get a pint glass of water, some pain killers and a few slices of bread to leave there for him in the morning. Mick then made his way through to the spare room, leaving the door open just in case he was needed.

When Ketch woke the next morning, his head was pounding. He was vaguely aware of having woken up a couple of times in the night to throw up but didn’t really remember much after Mick had left. He did however remember Mick leaving which is why it took him rather by surprise when the man in question exited his guest bedroom.

“How you feeling?” Mick asked before Ketch fully had a chance to process.

“Awful. Why didn’t you stay at Bella’s last night.”

“We broke up.”

“Oh.” Ketch paused before continuing. “Did you at least have fun at the ball?”

“Didn’t go. We broke up before we went.”

“Oh. Why?”

“She wanted me to choose between her and you.” Mick shrugged as if it were totally normal to break up with your girlfriend of several months for a friend that you have an, at best, love/hate relationship.

“Why didn’t you choose her?” Ketch couldn’t help asking.

“Because you would never ask me to choose.”

Ketch took a moment to process this. As he tried to get his head round it, Mick placed a kiss in his hair before going to make them breakfast. Ketch needed some time to get his head around this new development, so he left to find Mick some new clothes. They had work and it wouldn’t do for Mick to turn up in yesterday’s clothes that had quite obviously been slept in. Ketch also took this opportunity to brush his teeth and get dressed himself. By the time he’d finished stalling and entered the kitchen, Mick was serving up a full English.

“Before you say anything, yes you are eating breakfast. I want everything on that plate gone before we leave.” Ketch looked like he wanted to argue but clearly thought better of it, sitting down to tuck into his breakfast.

“What are you really doing here Mick?”

“What do you mean?” Mick asked.

“When you left you were happy and excited to go out with Bella but by the end of the evening you’d chosen to come back here and break up with her. Why?”

Mick was rather taken aback by the obvious invitation to actually discuss feelings. It was usually something Ketch would avoid like the plague if he could help it. “Because, I was happier learning to dance with you in the last week than I ever was with her and I realised that I’d rather not waste my time on her when I could spend that time with you.” Mick shrugged.

“So you’re after…”

“Whatever you’re willing to give me.” Mick assured him. Unsure of if his feelings were returned but willing to roll the dice anyway. He barely even finished his sentence before Ketch leaned over the table to kiss him. Neither of them knew where this was going and for the moment, neither of them cared. In that moment Mick knew he’d made the right decision. He'd admittedly been a little disappointed that he hadn't got to use any of his new skills, but this new development more than made up for it.

**Author's Note:**

> For anyone confused by what is meant by the strictly curse, it's explained quite well here


End file.
